MELROSE -- Several area fire departments went above and beyond with their assistance to Nassau County after Superstorm Sandy.

Along with saving more than 16 adults, seven children and three animals in the Freeport area following the natural disaster, local fire departments volunteered their time when they arrived back home to collect toys for affected kids, said Melrose Fire Chief Dominic Pasinella.

More than 600 toys ended up being collected at a local Walmart where firefighters took turns with shifts to collect the donations, he said.

"It was overwhelming to see what people were donating. There were piles and piles of items," he continued. "A 17-foot trailer was filled."

The toys went to 200 children in the communities of Freeport, Baldwin, and Island Park on Long Island. That tally was recently taken.

The collections were done just weeks after the fire fighters from four Rensselaer County fire departments came back from 72-hour stints in the affected areas where trained responders handled water rescues and checked homes along the shore. In one stint, the Melrose crew responded to 13 calls in three days.